Bulbine narcissifolia old flowers longest

Near the end of its bloom days the Bulbine narcissifolia flowerhead still sports an undeveloped tip where buds and bracts have not yet formed, or it’s too late now.

Below the near-cylindrical cone of whitish bracts there is a small ring of yellow and green, ovoid to ellipsoid buds pointing up on still shorter pedicels. They will soon reach centre stage as the open yellow flowers immediately below them fade into fruiting.

The widest part of the inflorescence is below the open flowers, the closed perianths brown and cream, well-spaced on long pedicels. The inflorescence diameter normally ranges from 2,5 cm to 3,5 cm. These closed tips must be close to the upper limit of the typical spread.

The sequence of flowering and fruiting is rather quick. The open, yellow flower stage lasts about one day. The lower closed flowers are here already browner. The thin-walled capsules don’t seem to hold on to the black seeds for long.

Flowering happens from late spring to after midautumn (Easton-Brown and Kruger, 2023; Manning, 2009; Pooley, 1998; Van Wyk and Malan, 1997; iNaturalist).